Me? I'm a fan of exotic materials on knives, whether it's lightning strike carbon fiber or mammoth bark ivory (I have both), whether it's stainless steel framed or titanium framed (I have both), whether it's ZDP-189 or M4 (I have both).
I work in aviation. I'm an engineer. I like lightweight materials and insanely thoughtful designs. To me, that's the heart of the knife, the materials and the design. How they work together to create a tool that is both functional and beautiful. We can get varying levels of functionality anywhere. Seriously. The vast majority of what we use knives for on a daily basis can be fulfilled with a ragged chunk of scrap metal. I have yet to see the carboard box that could withstand a jagged piece of scrap metal.
There is a wonderful economic argument for knives (and other things, including hammers). We get the most value from that first dollar spent. I.e., we get that sharpened hunk of metal which will actually do the vast majority of what you need to do with a knife and you can get it for a buck (or less). Every additional dollar above that spent on that hunk of sharp metal is spent on aesthetics: a nicer handle, better steel, a folding mechanism, a blade lock, etc. So, we who are into knives as a hobby, as an interest, as an avocation, spend more on our knives that normal people. Because we are sensitive to the aesthetics. Yes, yes, "my Strider is vastly more functional than a sharpened hunk of metal!" Of course it is. Sort of. But, really, do I need a $400 knife to open packages? Absolutely not. My one dollar hunk of sharpened scrap metal will do that quite handily. But it won't be elegant. It won't be beautiful. It won't have that slick, ball bearing flipper action that makes me swoon. It's the aesthetics. It's the user experience. It's what it means to us, the individual, the joy we derive from using an elegant/tough/tactical/traditional/whatever knife in our daily lives.
Tastes differ. Some people like jigged bone. Some people like cocobola wood. Some people like carbon fiber. Do we NEED any of those things? No. Are they central to the user's experience? Absolutely. Can we justify (rationalize) our choices? Certainly. And that's exactly what we do. Does the .06 ounce saved by using carbon fiber instead of G10 make a significant difference to the functionality of the knife? Nope. Not a bit. However, it really is central to the user's experience of that knife. Is a titanium frame going to give me some additional capability vis a vis that carboard box? Sadly, no. But, it's central to my experience using that knife. And that experience is part of what makes me who I am.
My point, and I do have one, is that whether you personally feel like rationalizing carbon fiber on your personal knives is irrelevant. Other people can and do just as others rationalize cocobola wood or G10. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
